Apparently Nintendo will continue with Switch for several years, with internal discussions for a next-gen console still taking place around a distant launch window, and even a possible layout.
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo plans to one day replace the Switch with a new gaming system, and the company’s latest financial presentation makes it clear that the new hardware is part of its plans broader to expand the business (along with the expansion of IP and the addition of services to the Nintendo Account system). Nevertheless, the presentation only gave a date of ’20XX’ for the release of that hardware. Although it is clear that this will not be the case, that gives rise to the option that we are talking about 2099.
During a question and answer session on financial results, which was attended, translated and reported by the analyst David Gibson, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa was asked what he could say about the next generation device. It was clear to Furukawa that he could say very little, and it seems that even what will be the next console is still up for debate Inside the company.
“In the next generation, we are not saying now”, dijo Furukawa, “We are still going through an internal discussion about the concept, the time, etc. and discussing everything.”.
However, Furukawa said that the Switch remains in the “intermediate phase” of its life cycle, which means we have several more years ahead of us before Nintendo considers replacing it. In May 2020, Furukawa said that Switch was “only” in the middle of his life, so it may be that its recent smash success caused Nintendo to extend the time which could support hybrid hardware.
That agrees with Nintendo’s goals for next year. The financial filing indicated that by adding the OLED model of the Nintendo Switch to its lineup, it expects to see a sixth consecutive year of Switch sales growth, “something never experienced before with our business dedicated to video game platforms. “. Definitely, Until the Switch stops growing, it is highly unlikely that Nintendo will seek to replace it.
In other news from Nintendo, and despite its hopes for the OLED model, the Japanese company has already confirmed that will not put all of its resources into the new model, saying that the three Switch variants (regular, OLED, and Lite) “meet different needs.”. Something important considering that reference is made to stock shortage because of the problem of semi-conductors.
